Break The Sky
by helloheroin
Summary: "It's for your country," Tsuna was told. But the higher up he ascended into the clouds, even with his comrades, his participation in this war seemed wrong. World War II AU, eventual 1827 and several other pairings. REWRITE from an old account.


**A/N:** If this story sounds a little familiar, you probably remember it from my old account, Keahi08. u_u however, I cannot access that account, and want to continue this story on a fresh new one! Le sigh, le sigh. Let's see if I can complete it this time. too.

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><p><strong>Break The Sky<strong>

Looking back, it had started with his father. Or, in retrospect, it had started the day Tsuna had been taken to the festival with his father, and they had talked about the sky.

"You know, I can fly," His father had told him, as if commenting on the weather.

Tsuna had almost fallen off the man's shoulders. At that moment, his father had become his superhero, like in the manga he read, like the ones in books. "You can fly? Really? I-I wanna fly!"

His father had laughed, watching as the chemicals in the air exploded to make intricate patterns across the night sky. "You'll fly," He told his son, wisely. "You'll take to the sky quickly, don't worry. I have a feeling you'll get it from me, and you'll be airborne in no time." And though that topic had died quickly, the father-son duo spending the rest of the night relishing in each others company and enjoying the festival, it stuck with Tsuna for the rest of his life.

Yes, it had started with his Father. Even though his father was rarely home, even though his Father was off fighting. His father was his driving force, and although Tsuna didn't know it, he was his father's inspiration.

Always had been, right up to his death in 1937.

**October 21st, 1941**

Tsuna reasoned he should feel empty, insecure, out-of-place, scared. But in reality, he didn't. He felt odd, like something was off, but he wasn't scared. He didn't feel like much had changed. Even though he had just been put into foster care. Oddly enough, he felt only the slightest bit unnerved. Agitated, but not angry. Put-off, but not sad.

Something was wrong with him, he reasoned. But Tsuna was young, and looking inside himself was hard.

Sawada Tsunayoshi had received a letter that his Father had been killed in action in December of 1937. It was not the best Christmas. Come to think of it, it was pretty much his last real Christmas. His father, Vice Admiral in the Japanese Air force, was a man loved by everyone, had been Tsuna's hero throughout his life, and had been taken from him far too easily. For a ten year olds hero to be taken away from them was a horrible experience. To have a ten year olds father die was even worse.

And his mother, Nana, hadn't taken the news too well either. She gave her son smiles and encouraging words, she bore the weight of her husband's death for three years before dying, lost to a disease Tsuna didn't quite understand. He didn't think he cared about what disease it was, though. Just like he didn't care to read the details of the letter that told him how his Father had been killed. What mattered was that they were gone, and that was all he needed to know.

But, as he told the administrators and teachers of the orphanage, that was neither here nor there. Since it had happened, getting upset over it would do him no good. Not that he didn't get upset. Oh, he cried more than anyone. But when he really took the time to dissect it, like one should do when their parents die, he didn't feel like he was going to get anywhere, so he didn't do it.

Tsuna would rather focus on the present. And as troubling as the pasts problems were, the present's troubles were just as bed. He felt like he would never, ever, amount to anything, he told them.

His parents encouraging words had been the only thing convincing Tsuna he wasn't worthless. He wasn't good at anything, he had no special skills, and the only thing that made him unique was his clumsiness, which was endearing for all of five seconds before he was annoying everyone even when trying his best. His only friends had been two girls at his school, and now that Tsuna had no one telling him otherwise, he was convinced he would never be good at anything – so why try?

And with that logic, Tsuna did little to nothing for the first months he was in the orphanage. Most of his time was spent thinking, thinking about what the appropriate reaction to the recent turn of events would be, and thinking about what we would do with his life now, things that a 14 year old boy should not be thinking about, people in the town thought. But Tsuna had never been good at communicating with them, anyway. Not unless he had his Father beside him, boasting about what a good kid he was, or his Mother with her hand on his shoulder, proclaiming how she loved him so.

"Sawada? Are you listening?"

Tsuna's head shot up, looking at his instructor with wide eyes. His eyes hadn't changed. He had expected them to look sadder, deeper, but they never did. They stayed almost innocent, still clueless, and that disappointed Tsuna more than anything, because after he turned 13, he spent a lot of time staring into mirrors and looking at himself. But he would always get scared, like his reflection would make a face at him. "Y-Yes!"

The woman at the front of the classroom sighed, trying to ignore the soft chuckles of Tsuna's classmates. "We were talking about… the future. And I asked you, what would you like to be? When you grow up?"

Tsuna smiled a little crookedly, his eyes fixated on the piece of paper he had been drawing on. As he awkwardly pushed the tip of his pencil across his sheet, he said, almost sheepishly. "Wanna fly."

The teacher's eyebrows knit together as she pushed her glasses up her nose. "Excuse me? You want to fly?"

Tsuna's Father, Iemetsu, the brave, kind man that he was, popped into several peoples mind, but no one could imagine Tsuna filling that brave, kind man's shoes. "Yeah," he told his sheet of paper, a sense of longing clinging to his words. "Like my dad."

"Dame Tsuna," the boys would tease, turning their back to him. "Not havin' you on my team. You always lose!"

Tsuna laughed quietly, almost inaudibly, at the nickname he had been given, pretending it was just a friendly joke he was in on. He didn't quite mind. Although he did get lonely, he was a bit too confused about things in general to hang onto the loneliness he felt. Most of his time was spent by himself, but for some reason unknown to even him, he still walked around feeling optimistic. When, really, he shouldn't, but he guessed that was just a part of his personality. He didn't know if it was good or bad yet.

In the small town of Nanimori, the people still said hello to him. Shop owners waved and Neighbors gave him food, but he wasn't homeless. He talked to people, he laughed, he wasn't miserable – but that was the problem. Why _wasn't_ he miserable?

"See that?" Prompted a voice, as a hand took a firm grip on his shoulder. "I'm thinking about going with the pilots."

Looking up, Tsuna tilted his head back and saw just what the voice was referring to. The sun was still high in the sky, but Tsuna could definitely make out the jets rocketing above them. He smiled, content with the hand on his shoulder. "Going off with the pilots?"

Yamamoto Takeshi was tall, strong, well-built, and of legal age: 18. He was a thousand times more 'optimistic' then Tsuna, and maybe a little stupid, but Tsuna thought that maybe that was just an act sometimes. Other times he couldn't tell. Despite the cheerful disposition, Tsuna knew that when times called for it, Yamamoto could be dependable and strong.

Tsuna thought about this, turning to watch the plains fly towards the horizon. As if he could follow them, he took a step forward, climbing onto the railing that prevented citizens from falling down the hill he stood on.

Once he found his balance, Tsuna turned to look at Yamamoto seriously, or, as serious as Tsuna could muster. "So wait—You're thinking of leaving? And going with them? B-But they're going… going to…"

"Hong Kong," finished Yamamoto, nodding firmly. As if to show proof, he reached into his pockets and pulled out a brightly colored, albeit slightly torn up, flyer and unfolded it. Almost proudly, he smoothed out the crinkles in the paper and smiled at it. "I don't see anything wrong with that. Aren't I fighting for my country?"

In a loud, short burst, Gokudera, who had been leaning coolly against the railing as if he was waiting for someone to address him {or point out how cool he looked}, huffed, "Go, then! Acting like we want you around in the first place…"

Shooting Tsuna a wicked sort of a grin, Yamamoto slowly strode up to his silver-hair friend before slinging an arm around him and crying out dramatically, "Gokudera, stop! You'll break my heart!"

After successfully tuning his friends out, Tsuna thought, for a moment, about how things were always changing, but he wondered just how much these changes affected him. He gripped the railing he balanced on and thought ahead; to the future, and to the sky.

"Yamamoto," he called, still watching the plains zip across the sky, leaving trails behind them as if they wanted Tsuna to follow. "…Let me come with you."

Yamamoto, who had Gokudera up in the air to twirl him around and cry about how much his heart was breaking, froze, and stared at the younger boy. "Eh? Ah, Tsunayoshi, don't you think you, ah…"

_Don't you think you're a little hopeless_, finished Tsuna's mind, but his face remained unfazed. He smiled to himself, eyes still plastered to the heavens. "All the way to Hong Kong, right?" He echoed, imagining himself flying about in the sky he was so intent on staring at. "So… You'd have to fly. Even the ones who aren't fighting would be flying right?"

"Wait, wait, wait." Pushing Yamamoto away violently, Gokudera grabbed hold of the railing Tsuna was perched upon and leaned forward, catching sight of the younger boys face. "You're not… thinking about going with him? Juudaime? Please tell me you're not thinking of—"

"Hey, I think that's a great idea!"

"Of course you do," scoffed Gokudera, scowling at the dark-haired boy. "Juudaime, let's think about this."

Tsuna sighed, bracing himself for what was to come. "You know, I don't think we have to." He said, looking over his shoulder. A warm, pleading smile spread over his features – pleading for Gokudera not to dive too deep and to – really – keep his nose out of Tsuna's business. "I'd be making myself useful, couldn't I?"

Oh, how he had perfected the act of not realizing how useless he was. Of pretending to hope.

Yamamoto simply smiled, patting the smaller boy on the back. "Sounds like a plan!" He looked over his shoulder to Gokudera, who had his arms crossed over his chest and was scowling at the pavement. "Wanna come with us?"

The silver-haired boy kicked a rock. "…I guess."

Nanimori was one of the smallest towns he had been in in a while, Hibari noted.

"The flyer," he mentioned, turning around to look over his subordinates. "It specifically said five o'clock, didn't it?"

"Yes, Captain," replied Chrome, stepping out of the plane. "Five o'clock _sharp_, underlined and everything." With gentle steps, she sat down beside her captain and smiled. "…Hibari-San, don't worry. Remember whose hometown this is. People will come."

Hibari sighed quietly, enjoying the peacefulness the town provided. He was grateful he had taken this mission up – it was wonderful to get away from the busy people at the base. His problem was that this was a small town – and even if people did come, who's to say any of them would be competent enough to fly a plane?

He supposed he could find at least a few people – at least a few people Iemetsu had inspired. And maybe that inspiration, that devotion and admiration akin to what he had for the man, would be enough to spark it. Maybe, if he prayed to whatever God there might have been, this wouldn't be for nothing.

"I take it the plane's in order, then," He commented, turning to look at Chrome as the girl stood up to inspect it from afar. She wore a 'special uniform' her captain Mukuro had designed for her (a short skirt and choppy top, probably cut up and sewn together from the regular uniform), and even though several people had said on several occasions it was inappropriate, Mukuro would tell them to make an exception, and for him, it was made.

"All ship-shape," she chirped, attempting to make a joke, and Hibari forced the tiniest hint of a smile to humor her, then went back to scowling. He had a warm sort of friendship with Chrome, and it was something he valued, but did not explicitly think of. "They should be coming soon… Do you want me to round everyone up?"

Hibari groaned softly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Ugh… If you would."

Then the crowd came.

Truth be told, it was sort of a pitiful excuse for a crowd. With a quick look, Hibari could see just how many people had come – 15 – and he resisted the urge to moan loudly in protest. He had came all the way out here to some rundown town for 15 people – most of who wouldn't even qualify? Sometimes he questioned his own sanity, and asked himself why he had signed up for this. Then he was reminded. He knew why had signed up for this. He had taken the mission because the Vice Admiral was from this town, and he jumped at the chance to see it for himself.

A part of him came to hope and pray – and look for if he had to, dammit – Iemetsu's son, whom he so frequently spoke of. How sweet and good-natured he was, how loyal, how cute, how trustworthy. Iemetsu had been a role-model, a superior, a friend – and at times a father figure. His death had affected Hibari just as much as it affected his real son, he told himself, and for some foolish reason, he felt as though Nanimori was calling for him.

Something was waiting for him. He could feel it. Or, he thought, someone.

The Captain stood, his eyes sweeping over the new recruits. He felt something in the back of his mind urging him to search the crowd for Iemetsu's eyes, but the businesslike standpoint he had acquired over the years dug it's hooves in and forced him not to stray from the task at hand. He spotted a few that would probably be coming with him, and a few that he knew he would be dismissing. But before he got to that part, there were the formalities to be taken care of.

"Residents of Nanimori," he addressed them as, and his voice was soft and dangerous and betrayed not the longing he felt to weed through the crowd in search for the Sawada boy. "My name is Hibari Kyouya. I come from the Naval Air Facility of Atsugi, and I am here to recruit – is about the gist of it. But you already knew that."

He was intimidating them, he noticed. That was good. Should he scare anyone off, then he could dub them as a weak herbivore and move on.

"Behind me, as you can see, is a 660 fighter. Your job today is to see if you can figure out how to get it off the ground without making an idiot of yourself. If you can do that, you can follow my crew and I to the Atsugi base, where you will undergo training." Hibari looked over the crowd, spotting several faces that wore near the same expression he was wearing, and several the seemed a little nervous. "And that is the briefest explanation I can give you," He sighed. "I'd like to get this over and done with as soon as possible. Let's get this show on the road, herbivores."

The crowd was quiet, and amidst them, Tsuna thought to himself, _Herbivores?_

Chrome stepped up, clutching the flyers she had previously planted around town. "Ah—what my captain has failed to mention is that the position of pilot is not the only one we're opening." Timidly, she showed the crowd her papers. "We'll also need medical assistants, dispatchers, and intelligence officers. Anyone interested in the above openings, please come with me."

As a majority of the people in the small crowd were men, a majority of them flocked the Chrome, which made Hibari twitch visibly, tame as it was. Though some were left standing with him, and he supposed he could live with that.

The Captain turned on his heel and motioned for the crowd to follow, and while Yamamoto and Tsuna were content to pursue him, Gokudera had already dug his feet into the ground like the stubborn bull he was. The silver-haired boy pulled at Yamamoto's collar and yanked him over violently. "Listen, you," He hissed. "I'm going to follow the girl – because there is no way in hell I am leaving you two alone to go to—to go anywhere! So you'd better keep a good eye on Tsunayoshi, got it?"

The taller boy smiled, resting his hand over Gokudera's warmly. "Of course," he chided, making the other flush deeply and zip around to storm off. Yamamoto watched him go for a moment, before shining a blinding smile at his smaller companion. "Well!" He chirped, marching off. "Plane's don't fly themselves, Na, Tsuna?"

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><p><strong>AN:** How lazy am I? So Lazy, that I didn't even completely rewrite most of this chapter. I won't start writing new ones until the chapter after next, too, bwahahahah! I am so terrible, . Um, well, the most I want to say is, thank you for reading, reviews would be lovely but are not demanded, and one request: which chatacters would you like to see most in this story? (: Thank you, and goodnight!


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